James Joyces play Exiles follows the story of writer Richard Rowan, who, along with his ‘common-law wife Bertha and their son Archie, has come home to Dublin after ten years away. The couples return triggers an existential questioning, an anxiousness which is exacerbated by meetings with old friends and lovers. All this is set against the background of the summer of 1912, when Ireland and even England were threatening to tear themselves apart over Ulster.

Exiles is a profound exploration of jealousy, doubt and the complexity of human desire; it is also about the torments of disunion in both the public and private realm. With a new introduction and notes by Andrew Gibson.

Format: Paperback
Published: UK, 2026
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Pages: 160
Language: English
ISBN 10: 0241406013
ISBN 13: 9780241406014